The Independent: More sales success

Alone among national daily newspapers, The Independent recorded a year-on-year rise in circulation in the latest audited sales figures for the industry, released yesterday.

The Independent's average daily sale for January was 263,503, an increase of 10.4 per cent on December 2006 and a 2 per cent rise on January last year. The paper's share of the quality newspaper market has grown to 11.8 per cent, the highest level for a year.

In contrast, The Guardian's sales were down 2.7 per cent on the same period last year, while The Times and The Daily Telegraph also registered year-on-year falls, by 2.2 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.

Ivan Fallon, chief executive of Independent News and Media (UK), said yesterday: "We are delighted that, in a very competitive market, we are the only daily newspaper to show an increase. It is a testament to the quality of our journalism, the excellence of our promotional offerings, and to the loyalty of our readers, for which we are, as always, grateful. We are hopeful that next month's figures will be even better."

The Independent on Sunday is, likewise, the only Sunday paper to record a year-on-year increase, its average sale of 247,829 representing a rise of 2.7 per cent on the same period in 2006. Its market share of 9.4 per cent is its highest for nine years.